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Woman found dead in house in Abbotsford, IHIT called

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Photograph by: North Shore News
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Police are investigating a homicide possibly linked to a domestic dispute after a woman's body was discovered on Wednesday night.

Abbotsford Police were dispatched to a home in the 34800 block of Cassiar Court at 7:30 p.m. after a family member phoned the department concerned about the victim's welfare, said Const. Ian MacDonald.

Officers discovered the 40-year-old woman dead inside the home, and a man, also 40, was taken into custody.

"Regrettably the outcome come of that investigation was the worst possible scenario," said MacDonald.

"We're dealing with an incident of domestic violence and upon our arrival we determined the 40-year-old woman was, in fact, deceased in the home."

The man and woman had previously been in a relationship and had children together.

The two children were in the house but not present for the discovery of the victim's body, MacDonald said.

APD hadn't been called to the house in the past to attend any domestic disputes or significant incidents, but investigators will explore more deeply to see if there were unreported incidents in the past.

"Just because [domestic violence] hasn't been reported to police doesn't mean it didn't happen previously," said MacDonald, adding no level of domestic violence is acceptable.

"We're dealing with a tragedy and we're dealing with a case of domestic violence, which is obviously a high priority for all police departments."

The family asking police to check on the woman was the right step to take, and MacDonald suggested every citizen should do the same if they feel there is any suggestion of domestic violence.

"It's the type of action we need everybody to take," he said.

"We need to get involved in these incidents; we need to try to stop them.

This incident represents a tragic loss of life and we wish to extend condolences to friends and family of the victim," he said.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has been called out and the investigation is in its early stages, with APD major crime detectives and forensic unit officers on scene.